Unsaturated Fatty acid Components of Hexanic Extract from Achillea cuneatiloba Growing Wild in North of Iran

Fatty acids, especially unsaturated fatty acids (USFAs), are important as nutritional substances and metabolites in living organisms. Many kinds of fatty acids play an important role in the regulation of a variety of physiological and biological functions. Fatty acids are organic components formed by hydrocarbonated chain and a carboxylic group which are normally bounded with glycerol-forming acylglycerides [1-2]. This article reports the fatty acid composition of the oil extracts from flowers Achillea cuneatiloba growing in Alborz mountains (Mazandaran province, Iran). The oil from A. cuneatiloba flowers was extracted with hexane in Soxhlet apparatus and subsequently identified and determined by using gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy. The extract from the flowers was characterized by a high amount of unsaturated fatty acids (USFAs) (73.0%) and some of long chain hydrocarbon compounds. The main components of the hexane extract were 9-Octadecenoic acid (ω-9) (46.8%), 9, 12-octadecadienoic acid ( linoleic acid or ω- 6) (20.6%), Hexadecanoic acid, ( palmitic acid) (8.6%), 1,2- Benzenedicarboxylic acid diisooctyl (8.7%), γ- linolenic acid (5.6%) and dodecane (3.7%). The hexane extract from A. cuneatiloba flowers detected as an important source of ω-6 and ω-9 compounds. This study reveals that the flowers of this plant are attractive sources of oily components, especially the essential ones, as well as of effective natural sources of unsaturated fatty acids. Therefore, A. cuneatiloba can be introduced as rich sources of fatty acid in food dietary and medical health.